Developers have stepped up in recent years, and there is now stiff competition for the best open-world racing experience in gaming.

Forza Horizon 5's release this year developed on the success of one of the best franchises in the open-world racing game genre, becoming one of the highest-rated games of 2021. With beautiful environments, realistic racing, and enough optional activities that no player would ever run out of things to do, the new title has shown what open-world racing games can be.

However, the genre has a surprisingly long history, and there is a whole lot of amazing open-world racing games that make for expansive and enjoyable gaming experiences in their own right.

Test Drive Unlimited

One of the earliest entries in the open-world racing game genre in 2006, Test Drive Unlimited established a lot of the conventions that are still present in similar games today. Whilst the game has aged considerably in a genre that has had a lot of focus on graphical improvement, the game still has a lot of appeal.

The setting of the Hawaiian island of Oahu is a treat, and there is surprisingly a ton of options for things to do. The races are intense and engaging, and the game pulls the player into its world with the sheer freedom it offers. Even with nostalgia aside, Test Drive Unlimited is a really good racing game.

Need For Speed Heat

Whilst the Need for Speed franchise mainly found success with more linear titles, Need for Speed Heat showed that the developers were more than capable of making an enjoyable open-world experience. As with any Need for Speed title, players could expect fun racing mechanics, good music, and a decent, if small compared to other games in the genre, selection of vehicles.

The game also delivered on the open-world front, as the urban setting of fictional Palm City is surprisingly diverse as well as always being a pleasant place to race. Need for Speed Heat allows the player to switch between day and night, allowing for intense street racing once the streets are dark. The game wasn't the strongest entry compared to the highly-rated games of the Need for Speed golden era, but it was nevertheless a fun game.

The Crew

A game that ambitiously tried to represent the entirety of the contiguous United States in its open world, The Crew has one of the largest open-world environments in the genre to date. The world design was one of the strong points of the title, and the campaign was decent-sized and gave some direction to the player's exploration.

Being able to join crews and compete together is also fun and, although it is a minor issue that the game had no offline mode, The Crew is still a thoroughly enjoyable open-world racing experience.

Forza Horizon 2

The first Forza Horizon game is starting to show its age, but Forza Horizon 2 showed that Turn 10 and Playground games were really beginning to hit their stride. The game is incredibly beautiful and holds up well, set in some of the most idyllic areas of Italy and France. The world is sizeable and offers plenty to do.

The tracks in Forza games are always fun and well-constructed, and Horizon 2 was no exception. This entry in the franchise also introduced bucket lists, absurd multi-vehicular events that became a keystone of the franchise and have helped keep things interesting when racing and exploring start to get boring.

The Crew 2

Whilst not vastly expanding on its predecessor, The Crew 2 still developed on some of the core concepts of that game, making it a solid entry in the genre. Similar to the first game, The Crew 2 is based around a massive recreation of the US and is an online-only experience.

The Crew 2 distinguishes itself from the first game by adding in more content to enjoy, including being able to take control of a variety of vehicles aside from cars, a bunch of different race types, and a different hub in the overworld for each mode. Cooperative multiplayer is also a fun addition to another enjoyable title that is easily one of the best games similar to Forza Horizon 5.

Forza Horizon 3

Building on the previous entries in the franchise, Forza Horizon 3 is a technical feat of dedication when it comes to providing drivers with beautiful and realistic backdrops. Set in Australia, the third iteration in the open-world genre for this racing franchise has a level of detail that means the player could never get bored of just exploring.

In order to achieve this, The Guardian reports that the team went to Australia and spent countless hours just attempting to capture the unique skyline and lighting of the country. Otherwise, the game keeps the same core mechanics as the previous entries in the series that already established Forza Horizon as one of the frontrunners in the arena of open-world racing experiences, and has a high-octane opening sequence to instantly let drivers know the thrills they can expect with the game.

Test Drive Unlimited 2

The 2011 sequel to the first Test Drive Unlimited, Test Drive Unlimited 2 still manages to feel ahead of its time with experiences to rival that of many later games. The game keeps the island setting of Oahu but also adds in the island of Ibiza for players looking for a new location to explore.

In Test Drive Unlimited 2, the player starts as a valet driver and works their way up to become the winner of the coveted Solar Crown, racing in different categories that include classic cars, off-roaders, and motorbikes for racers looking for something different. The game even has a fun online mode, making it another game with seemingly limitless content.

Burnout Paradise Remastered

Burnout Paradise was perhaps the best open-world racing experience around when it came out in 2008 but, unlike some of its rivals, the game received a remaster in 2018 that makes the game all the better to play now. The world is huge, the racing is intense, and it feels ridiculously fast.

Set in the fictional Paradise City, the game also has some of the most varied online content with different game modes such as "cops and robbers" to keep things interesting. Burnout Paradise is a hugely fun and chaotic game, and the remaster easily puts it among the best racing games that aren't Mario Kart.

Forza Horizon 4

It may have been expected for the series to have a lull after the success of the previous entries in the series, but things just kept getting better with the fourth installment of the Forza Horizon franchise. The game boasts a massive shared online world, based in the UK in this outing, but has a ton of content that can be enjoyed offline as well.

With over 750 licensed cars in the game, Forza Horizon 4 demonstrated that this was a game for car fanatics as well as players who just wanted to experience the thrills of racing and exploration. The soundtrack is great as usual and the cars all look spectacular, all culminating in one of the best open-world racing experiences to date.

Forza Horizon 5

An incredibly polished game that represents the best of what open-world racing games have to offer, Forza Horizon 5 is an amazing feat, and, excitingly, there is still more content to come. Boasting the largest-ever map in a Forza Horizon game, the latest title shows off a Mexico that gamers can easily get lost in, even taking in locations such as ancient Mayan temples and an active volcano.

The game is at its best where it's developing and polishing mechanics from previous games, and there is some new and experimental content, including Horizon Arcade, in which fun mini-multiplayer games are available across the map. Forza Horizon 5 is ambitious and hits all the right notes for an open-world racing game.

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